Lexus GS300

2006 Lexus GS 300 First Test

Smooth Jazz: Lexus retunes the GS 300 and 430. How do they play?

Wynton Marsalis is a fine horn player. Hand him a Bach or Handel trumpet concerto, and he'll hit each note, clean and precise. But does Marsalis have the chops for jazz improvisation like his heroes, Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis?The 2006 Lexus GS may be the Wynton Marsalis of cars. It's a fine, highly polished sedan that wants to be a BMW--and it succeeds, at least in tech and spec terms. Yet even a perfect interpretation of the luxury sport sedan can leave one hungry for the last-generation 5 Series, much like the outstanding Marsalis can make you crave late-1950s Miles. The formula does work, as Marsalis sells a lot of CDs, and Lexus has sold a ton of the GS.The GS 300 and GS 430 have returned, even though the riffs have been recut; new is an all-wheel-drive GS 300 with a wet-type multidisc clutch and a planetary gearset in the transfer case. Torque split varies from its normal 30/70 to 50/50, depending on conditions. The rear-drive-only GS 430, especially, does a nice job of mimicking recent BMW 5 Series ride and handling, with a suspension compliant enough for comfort on rough roads, but stiff enough and well balanced for near-flat cornering and an easy hustle along serpentine mountain roads.The V-8 comes with an adaptive variable suspension with a sport mode and Lexus's new Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM). It's an active-control strategy with sensors for steering angle, yaw rate, deceleration, brake pressure, brake pedal stroke, and wheel speed. Lexus says that what makes VDIM different is the way it gathers and processes data from these sensors to keep the car tracking true with minimal intrusion (see sidebar).Still, VDIM lends this feeling that there's a nanny lurking and ready to readjust the tail if you lay a tire wrong. Many drivers will appreciate that, some won't. VDIM also incorporates Lexus's answer to BMW's controversial new Active Steering system. Called variable gear ratio electronic power steering, it cuts the amount of steering input at low speeds to do in 2.7 turns, lock-to-lock, what would normally take 3.3 turns. This steering is as light and precise as you'd please, with just enough feedback to keep you well apprised of what's going on and with exceptional on-center feel. The only tranny for all versions of the GS is a smooth six-speed, close-ratio, multimode manumatic. Only BMW sells enough manual trans-equipped midsize sedans to make developing and certifying them worth the effort and expense.The GS 300, wearing 17-inch rolling stock on 10-spoke wheels, is a bit softer and less flat-cornering than the GS 430. Its new direct fuel-injection VVT-i (continuously variable valve timing with intelligence), 245-horsepower, 3.0-liter V-6 replaces the last GS 300's inline-six and features a host of nifty new tech (see sidebar). It's not sufficiently powerful, though. Despite weighing about 100 pounds less than the 2005 GS 300, the 2006 GS 300 seemed to struggle while charging up mountain grades. With 214 extra pounds in tow, the AWD version struggles even harder.The GS 430's torquey V-8 is what you need to put the sport into this sport-luxury sedan. Its larger wheels and tires, and slightly higher spring and shock rates, transmit road imperfections more than in the GS 300, but it's pleasant--all feel, no noise. The 430's a bit sharper over expansion joints and piecrust roads nibbling at the steering wheel and your seat, making the V-8 the clear enthusiast's choice.All three versions come to a stop with Germanically powerful brakes. They have 13.1-inch calipers and high-friction pads standard, but they felt too grabby on our 430, on which a subtle dab became an overpowering punch. A sample GS 300's brakes didn't suffer from this problem (test cars were preproduction models, but close to the final spec).Lexus wraps all this up in sheetmetal it considers breakthrough design. The GS has a high beltline and longish overhangs that GS chief engineer Shigetoshi Miyoshi describes as less politically correct, even though wheelbase is up two inches and overall length is only 1.7 inch over the 1998-to-2005 GS. Fenders are slightly flared, and at certain angles resemble the new-generation BMW 5 Series's, though the connection is subtle. The nose works as a modern update of the last-generation GS's style, but with an oddly shaped chrome surround for the grille that looks like it was added for more distinctiveness. The shape is repeated in an accent surrounding the center stack with the optional navigation system. Typical of a Lexus, the interior is gorgeously finished, with sumptuous materials, including a wood-trimmed steering wheel and some of the best leather in the business. Rear seats often are upholstered park benches, but this one's cushions are nicely sculpted for comfort and support. The edge surfacing of the dashboard is busy, but otherwise the interior is clean and uncomplicated. Credit goes to a hideaway panel that packages the buttons for 10 seldom-used features (such as mirror adjustments and the trunk latch), which folds into the dash, but drops down for easy access. And the cabin packs loads of tech, including a backup camera with the optional nav system and standard Smart Access keyless entry with a pushbutton starter.Lexus has come ever closer to building the perfect car, at least in the clinical sense. Cumbersome styling and iDrive have turned off enough traditional 5 Series buyers, which gives Lexus the opportunity to snare a few. The GS is not as engaging as a BMW 540i Sport--especially the last one. But you can't buy the last-generation 5 Series new anymore, just like you can no longer see a live performance of Miles or Satchmo. For many, especially Lexus's loyal customer base, the new GS and Wynton Marsalis are how one fills that void.More Tech Doesn't Mean More PowerToyota's new 3.0-liter VVT-i V-6, making its debut in the 2006 Lexus GS, is a high-tech marvel. It replaces the 220-horsepower inline-six of the previous GS 300, with 25 more horses and 10 more pound-feet of torque (to 230). It features direct injection, which means the fuel injectors are placed directly in the combustion chamber for more precise timing based on driving conditions and power demands. Because fuel is injected directly into the cylinder, it absorbs heat as it evaporates, acting like an intercooler. This allows a compression ratio increase from 10.5:1 to 11.5:1, accounting for much of the extra power. NOx regulations in the U.S. prevent the engine from running lean to save fuel, which is another advantage of direct injection in other markets. Throttle is drive-by-wire.Continuously variable valve timing for intake and exhaust valves provides a wide, flat torque curve in the 3.0 VVT-i. Needle-roller rocker arms and chain-driven cams help fuel economy, an impressive 22-mpg city/30-mpg highway EPA for the GS 300. An old-fashioned, paper oil-filter element replaces the typical disposable steel canister for recyclability.But with Lexus's sport-sedan aspirations for the GS, why not use the Toyota Avalon's new, 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6? That power level would match the Infiniti M35's V-6 and at least put Lexus in the ballpark with the class-leading Acura RL's 300-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6. The reason is that the 3.5-liter Toyota engine is just 20 horses shy of the GS 430's V-8. And Lexus now promises more model updates and shorter life cycles. So the V-8 will ultimately become the GS 460, via a new 4.6-liter engine making more than 315 horsepower. This makes room for the 280-horse GS 350 for the 2008 model year. Look for the GS 460 within a year, about the same time as Toyota's first rear-drive hybrid-powered model, the V-6/electric Lexus GS 450h, rated between 300 and 315 horsepower.Cool Tunes Sound HotConfession: We're often too busy checking out ride, handling, and performance to pay enough attention to a spiffy new sound system. We listen sans stereo for the engine note and for squeaks, rattles, and wind noise. Good stereo systems sometimes mask such problems. Not so the super-quiet Lexus GS. We thought it best to tap Michael Fremer, senior contributing editor for Stereophile magazine (another Primedia publication) for his opinion of the GS 300 and GS 430's optional, $4030 Mark Levinson 5.1 surround sound system. The 330-watt Levinson comes with a six-disc, CD/CD-R, audio and video DVD head unit, plus 14 speakers and an 11-channel DSP amp in the trunk. You can play video DVDs on your dash when the GS gearshift is in park."It's very good," Fremer says of the Levinson,"especially the way it gets the imaging to work." Fremer is impressed how Phil Muzio, director of acoustic systems at Mark Levinson, achieves three-channel (left, right, and center) separation from any of the five seats in the car. In most high-end systems, it's easy to lose three-channel sound quality, especially from the back seat. For instance, Muzio placed rear tweeters high in the doors, toward the parcel shelf. Most cars have them close to the floor, where they're less effective. And Fremer says "the bass kicks ass." By the way, he warns against cranking up the bass and treble on any hi-fi. If set too high, they drown out the midrange, where most of the music lives.

With the '98 GS Series, Lexus attackedBMW's 5 Series head-on, producing sport sedans with both rocking performance and pampering luxury. It was especially significant that we honored the GS Series with the '98 Import Car of the Year Award, since the 5 Series was the '97 ICOY winner.